The Elusive Kiwi and Pelorus Bridge

Our first decision on the South Island was to vote against heading north into the Queen Charlotte Sound, even though it’s highly recommended. The tours are pricey, the roads are unpaved, and while the hiking is supposed to be epic, we’re more stoked to hike/kayak the Abel Tasman National Park – a five day excursion. We don’t want to peak before we get to the Tasman. So we headed west. On the way to Marahau (the entry point for the Abel Tasman Park), we found a great little DOC campsite called Pelorus Bridge. I’m a big fan of freedom camping, but this Serviced DOC campsite is one that I can highly recommend. The facilities at Serviced sites are a lot nicer than the Basic or Standard DOC sites and traditionally feature gas cookers, flush toilets, ample space for camping, excellent trails through the woods, and a hot shower – so worth ten bucks a night. We planned on hiking down to the river, but as I was shoveling down some cocoa pops, nature came to us. Out of nowhere Carolyn freaked out behind the van. She squealed, “KIWI!! I SEE A BABY KIWI!!! BLAAAARGGGRAAAAAGGGGRRGRH KIWIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I dove out of the van to see the elusive bird, confused that it was out during the daytime (they’re nocturnal) and saw instead a little brown bird with huge feet. It resembled a kiwi, but didn’t look quite right. The beak was too short and the talons on its feet were gargatumongahugical. Much to our dismay we found out the bird wasn’t a kiwi – it was another flightless bird, the weka. It didn’t matter though because it was fun to feed the curious family. Pelorus Bridge provided us with a nice hot shower, our first kiwi false alarm, and our first weka sighting. Not too shabby.

Guide to DOC Campsites in New Zealand by Shawn Forno The Department of Conservation – or DOC – is a campervan or backpacker’s best friend in New Zealand. This government established organization exists to ensure that a large number of recreation areas, rest stops, dive and snorkel sites, locations, protected habitat...read more

"Kiwi Sighting" - a comic by Shawn Forno